


by another star

by oryx



Category: Kamen Rider 555
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-21
Updated: 2014-08-21
Packaged: 2018-02-14 02:37:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2174961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oryx/pseuds/oryx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three more times their story ends unhappily, and one time they get a different start.</p>
            </blockquote>





	by another star

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from "perfect" by depeche mode, the lyrics of which are rather apropos for this ship

_I. the one where he wins the battle_

He doesn’t know what Faiz is. Human or Orphenoch? (Or something in between?) But it doesn’t matter, in the end. All that matters is that he’s a danger – to Osada and Kaidou and any others like them, and someday, maybe, to humankind as well. Yuuji doesn’t like the idea of killing him. Perhaps there is a deeper reason Faiz bows to Smart Brain’s whims. But all the same, Yuuji can’t deny the feeling he gets whenever he sees that black and silver armor – the overwhelming desire to protect, to fight, to eliminate this threat once and for all.

He catches Faiz off guard, that day in the rain. His first blow knocks him off balance. His second blow strikes the belt head on, and he can feel it splinter beneath his sword.

The armor fades away, then, revealing the person beneath, and he knows that face but it’s too late to stop the arc of his blade.

He’s seen that face sidelong through the bars of the batting cages, and from across the counter at the cleaner’s, and grinning down at him not fifteen minutes ago, reaching out his hand after saving Yuuji’s life.

 _No_ , he thinks, _no, this can’t be right_ , as Inui Takumi sinks to his knees and slowly crumbles away into dust.

.

.

.

_II. the one where lucky clover are actually good at their jobs_

There’s someone seated on the couch when he walks in – a female figure, but Yuuka is still out at the store, and Yuuji feels his entire body tense as recognition sets in.

“Why are you here?” he asks, and though his voice remains calm his knuckles are white around the doorknob.

“Hmm?” Kageyama tilts her head to the side, that mocking smile cast half in shadow. She’s had time enough to make herself tea, apparently, and she lifts the cup to her lips in a delicate manner. “That’s no way to treat a guest, Kiba-kun. I just came here to talk, after all.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Oh?” She raises an eyebrow. “But I have some very exciting news to share with _you_. You’ve been officially invited to become the new fourth member of Lucky Clover.”

Yuuji stares at her for a long moment, expecting her to laugh, expecting her to say that it’s all just a joke. She does not. “What?” he murmurs. “That’s not… Is this some kind of ploy? Why would I be considered for Lucky Clover? I’m one of those ‘traitorous Orphenochs,’ remember? Your mission is to eliminate me, not to – ”

“Things have changed, Kiba-kun.” Kageyama’s uncanny smile grows more pronounced. “I’ve learned some intriguing things about you as of late. You may be a ‘traitorous Orphenoch’ now, but that wasn’t always the case, was it? There was a brief time when you were quite… _gung-ho_ about attacking humans.”

Yuuji takes a sharp breath, wariness prickling at his skin. Something twists in the pit of his stomach – the same sickening fear and resignation he’d felt back then, looking over the railing at the long fall below.

“It takes a certain kind of person to become a member of Lucky Clover,” Kageyama is saying. “A certain kind of ruthlessness, one might say. Most people simply don’t possess it. But you… You, who murdered the woman you loved in cold blood? Well. Even _I’ve_ never done anything quite that cruel.”

Her words echo hollowly in his ears. He feels distant from himself, numb and empty, and when he looks down at his feet he can almost see her there, her crumpled body, the hole in her chest from where he ran her through, those blank eyes staring up at him –

A hand on his shoulder jolts him back to reality. Kageyama is suddenly next to him, leaning in close with that disconcerting smile still curving her lips.

“I think it’s time to face facts, Kiba-kun,” she purrs. “The way you’re living right now… It’s the life of a hypocrite. Preaching peace and harmony when you’ve slaughtered innocent humans… What would those two think, if they knew? Imagine the looks on Yuuka-chan and Kaidou-kun’s faces, finding out that their oh-so-honorable leader is a killer. That their moral compass is perhaps… not so _moral_ after all.

“And let’s not forget those precious little humans you’ve befriended.” Kageyama reaches out to thread her fingers through his hair, her fingertips eerily cold against his temple. “Especially… that boy. So cute, isn’t he? He smiles at you, and thinks of you as a friend, without knowing what you really are. You could kill him in an instant, if you wanted to. At any moment he could end up just like Chie-chan – ”

Yuuji jerks away from her touch, spinning around to face her, fists clenched tight at his sides. His entire body is trembling, his breathing ragged.

“I wouldn’t,” he whispers. “Chie was… I didn’t mean to – ”

“But you did,” Kageyama says, looking at him almost pityingly. “And most likely, you will again. That’s how it is, for people like us.” She sighs and lifts her hands as if to say ‘it can’t be helped.’ “It’s your decision, in the end, to join Lucky Clover or not. I’m certainly not going to force you. But think about it, Kiba-kun. Is there really any place for you here? A _murderer_ surrounded by good, honest people? Pretending you’re something you’re not is unhealthy, you know. Repressing your true nature will lead to nothing but trouble.”

No, he wants to say. I’m not like that. I’m not like you. But the words catch and wither in his throat. Doubt settles like a weight on his shoulders.

“Well,” Kageyama says, “you know where to find us.” She procures a business card from her jacket pocket and lays it on the table, and his eyes zero in the clover emblem that decorates it. “Don’t keep us waiting too long for your answer, hmm? Murakami-kun doesn’t have the same generous patience that I do.”

And then she turns and vanishes through the still-open door, leaving him alone in the silence of the empty apartment.

.

.

The man with the glasses – Tanaka? Tamiya? – turns to glare at him suspiciously when he walks in the door. It’s dim inside, ominously so, and the sound of gently trickling water does little to ease the tension in his chest. From across the bar, Kageyama once again affixes him with that confident, unsettling smirk.

“It’s so good to have you, _Kiba-kun_ ,” she says, enunciating each syllable of his name in a way that makes him shiver. “We’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other from now on. So tell me – what’s your pleasure?”

.

.

.

_III. the one where he wins the war_

There’s a new Smart Brain compound being built on the outskirts of the city, for the purpose of helping deluded Orphenochs see the light. A correctional facility, in a sense, for those who are still blinded by outdated ideals, clinging to foolish dreams of coexisting with humankind.

“We could get him to the top of the waiting list,” his secretary offers. Her words are hesitant – it’s a public secret, of a sort, that the President is holding someone prisoner in a spare room on the twenty-fourth floor. “There’s really no need for you to take care of him personally, sir. You have better things to do, I’m sure…”

But Yuuji shakes his head.

“No,” he says. “I’m afraid he’s a special case.”

.

.

He alone brings Inui his meals, at the exact same times every single day, always stepping through the door just as the clock strikes the hour. Soon enough, Inui will come to look forward to it. He will count down the minutes until that door opens, and he will smile upon seeing Yuuji’s face, desperate and thankful for a brief reprieve from loneliness. No one else is allowed on this floor, after all. These few minutes at every mealtime are all the person-to-person contact he is permitted.

Soon enough, Yuuji knows, Inui Takumi will begin to break.

( _You’re a sick bastard,_ says a voice in the back of his mind, small and quiet and growing quieter with each passing day. _Remember when he smiled at you and really, truly meant it? Remember when –_ )

This afternoon, Inui is in the same place he usually is – sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, as far as the chain around his ankle will allow him. He tends to sleep in the same place as well, stalwartly refusing to use the bed provided. Some sort of last-ditch rebellion. It’s rather adorable, in a way.

Yuuji crouches down next to him, placing his meal within arm’s reach, but Inui doesn’t move. He continues to stare blankly downwards, a subtle clenching of his jaw his only reaction. Yuuji sighs.

“How long are you planning to keep this up?” he asks. “You’ve lost, you know. You really ought to just accept your defeat. No one is coming for you. You can’t escape. And even if you could – what then? There’s nothing left. Those humans you cared so much for are dead, Inui-kun. This is our world now.”

“That’s a lie,” Inui says, voice wavering precariously, as his hand curls into a fist at his side.

“You know I don’t lie. It’s a principle of mine.” Yuuji frowns, and reaches out to touch the collar around Inui’s neck, running his fingers over the scratches in the metal. A device that can nullify an Orphenoch’s power when worn… An invention he regrets having to commission, but there are some who simply cannot be reasoned with. “Have you been trying to get this off? I told you already – it won’t work. Why do you insist on making things harder for yourself?”

Inui twists away from him, then, throwing a haphazard punch aimed at his throat. Yuuji deflects it easily.

“Case in point,” he sighs. “Am I going to have to restrict you to one meal a day?”

The instant apprehension that fills Inui’s eyes is beautiful to behold. It’s not the meal itself he fears losing. It’s that interaction, however brief it may be, however much he may despise the person who provides it.

 _You need me,_ Yuuji thinks, and the realization settles warm and satisfying in his chest. _I am all you have left._

.

.

He forces Inui to his knees in the throne room.

“Kiba,” he hisses. “What do you think you’re doing??” He struggles to get back on his feet, but Yuuji simply applies more pressure to the nape of his neck, forcing his head down in the semblance of a bow.

“Don’t worry, Takumi,” he says softly. “With this we’ll live forever, you and I. And maybe someday, at the end of the world… you’ll finally realize that I was right.”

“…No,” Inui whispers, and repeats it again and again, each time with growing horror, as the Orphenoch King descends from his throne and reaches out his hand.

.

.

.

__Ø_. the one where he’s caught as he falls_

He comes to in an unfamiliar room. There’s a bone-deep ache running through his entire body, similar to the ache he’d felt upon waking up in the morgue, each breath harsh and biting in his throat. He tries to gather his wits as he glances around the room. A hotel, it seems. A cheap one at that – peeling wallpaper and ugly, wood-paneled furniture. The pillow beneath his head smells faintly of mothballs.

And there, seated at the end of the bed… a person.

“Who are you?” Yuuji asks. His voice comes out hoarse and barely audible. “How did I get here?”

The person turns. A young man, maybe a few years Yuuji’s junior, with shoulder-length hair and a handsome face, though he seems like the type who scowls more often than he smiles.

“I brought you here,” he says. “I was there. When you jumped.”

 _Oh_ , Yuuji thinks. That’s right. He did jump, didn’t he? It had seemed like the only thing to do – the only option to ease the guilt and the feelings of wrongness, of being somewhere (some _when_ ) he doesn’t belong.

And yet here he is. Still alive. Still breathing, despite a ten-story drop.

“I didn’t help you out to be nice or anything,” the stranger is saying. “It’s just… It might’ve been bad, if the authorities had gotten to you. That’s all.”

Yuuji blinks at him in confusion.

“…You’re one of _those_ , right?” The stranger is trying to look nonchalant, but there’s a gleam in his eye that’s almost hopeful. “I mean… You wouldn’t’ve been able to survive that fall if you weren’t.”

‘One of those,’ he says, and Yuuji’s pulse quickens. He hastily pushes himself up into a sitting position, wincing against the pain as he does so.

“You,” he says softly. “Are you… like that, too? You can… change into…?”

The stranger hesitates before nodding. He looks away, back at the television where some late-night infomercial is muted, and the two of them settle into contemplative silence.

So there are others, Yuuji thinks, as pure, selfish relief washes over him. He isn’t the only monster. The stranger doesn’t ask why he jumped, because it seems he understands. He’s felt that same fear, too – wondering if you’ll be able to control it the next time, wondering who you might hurt if you can’t.

“I’m getting out of town,” the stranger says suddenly. “Some stuff happened, and I’d rather not stick around. You should leave, too. Get a fake identity or something. Just… don’t try and off yourself again. I mean, I guess it’s none of my business, but… Whatever you do, it probably won’t work. So there’s really no point in trying.”

He turns the television off with a click of finality, standing up and slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder.

“See you around,” he mutters, and starts to walk towards the door.

“W-wait,” Yuuji exclaims, panic hitting him like a punch to the gut. This is all far too sudden. _Please don’t leave me alone again_ are the words on the tip of his tongue, but he swallows them down, staggering to his feet and reaching out for the stranger’s hand. He stumbles, legs still heavy and disoriented, and the guy hastily drops his bag in order to catch him.

“O-oi,” he hisses, arm circling Yuuji’s waist. “The hell are you doing?? Stay in bed for a least a few more hours, idiot – ”

“Take me with you,” Yuuji says, and though he means to sound resolute all he really sounds is desperate. He realizes, distantly, that his hands are holding on to the stranger’s forearm, gripping just bit too tight. “You and I… We’re the same, aren’t we? It would make sense for us to stick together.”

“That’s…” Uncertainty flickers across the stranger’s face, but he shakes his head as if to dispel it. “I’m assuming you don’t have any money, right? So there’d be nothing in it for me, taking you along.”

He shrugs out of Yuuji’s grasp and picks up his bag once more, reaching for the door.

“You were happy, right?” Yuuji says quietly. “Finding someone like you after all this time?”

The stranger pauses mid-step and turns to look at him questioningly.

“You just… you look like you’ve been on your own for a while,” Yuuji says. “Which I guess I can’t really relate to. A few days ago I had everything, you know? And then I woke up from a long dream, and it was all gone.” He laughs, then – a sad, weary sound. “So maybe I don’t completely get it. What you’ve been through, I mean. But still… There had to have been a reason for us meeting, don’t you think? It couldn’t have just been coincidence.”

For a time, the two of them stand there in silence.

“…I don’t believe in fate,” the stranger says, but takes a step back into the room all the same.

.

.

A few dozen miles outside the city, they stop at an inn he’s never seen before.

“Is this place new?” he asks, and Inui gives him a strange look as he removes his helmet.

“Been here at least two years,” he says.

 _Oh_ , Yuuji thinks. _So that’s why._ Three years never felt like such a long time, really, until he slept those years away and came back to find everything changed. Things he used to know are vanished completely, now, and unfamiliar places and faces have sprung up like weeds in their wake.

The dining room at the inn is a quaint affair – other than an elderly couple in the corner, they’re the only ones there. It’s the perfect time to continue the game of sorts he’d started earlier. So far he’s obtained two straight answers: blood type (A), and favorite ice cream flavor (milk).

“Favorite colour?” he asks, and Inui stares at him blankly, chopsticks halfway to his mouth.

“This again? Why do you care?”

Yuuji shrugs. “It’s normal, isn’t it? To want to know things about the person you’re traveling with?”

“It’s not normal for me,” Inui mutters, and the meal continues on in silence until he says, in a voice so quiet Yuuji almost doesn’t hear: “Red.”

“Red?”

Inui nods.

“… It suits you,” Yuuji says, after a moment of contemplation. ( _Strange,_ he thinks. He'd had red in mind long before he asked.)

.

.

The girl scowls at Inui from across the table.

“You have a responsibility to help me, you know,” she says. “You can’t just leave me on my own! You saw that, that _thing_. More of them will come after me as long I have the belt!”

“So get rid of it, then,” Inui says, glowering right back at her. “It’s not my problem, so stop following me around, will you?”

“Oi, Takumi,” Yuuji says, admonishing, but Inui refuses to meet his eyes. He pushes back his chair and heads straight for the door, muttering under his breath as he does so, hands jammed in his pockets. The girl – Sonoda, she said her name was – watches him leave with an exasperated huff.

“…Sorry,” Yuuji says. He smiles apologetically. “He’s just a little… standoffish at first. He’s a good person at heart, though. He’ll probably come around soon enough.”

“I hope you’re right,” Sonoda sighs. “I don’t know what my father was thinking, sending me this weird belt that I can’t use…” She picks up her drink and sips at it morosely. “How do you know that guy, anyway? Are you related or something?”

“Oh, no,” Yuuji says. “We’re…” He trails off, trying to think of the right word, and happens to glance out the window. Inui is waiting by the bikes, leaning against his with his arms crossed sulkily, observing the two of them out of the corner of his eye. He averts his gaze hurriedly when he catches Yuuji staring back, and Yuuji has to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

“We’re friends,” he says finally, and smiles.


End file.
